As the year draws to a close, it's a time to reflect. I'm thankful for family and friends and fellow gardeners.  I'm thankful, too, for past shows like The Victory Garden (the version that ran from the late 1980s through the 1990s) and for folks like Jim Wilson and Peter Seabrook who inspired me through the gardens and the gardeners they explored. Here's what other gardener-friends have been thankful for in years past...

“Plant-wise, I am thankful for Black Scallop Ajuga and golden Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ [groundcovers] as they are a ‘living mulch’ and the Black Scallop is truly black,” says garden designer Patti Kirkpatrick of Joliet who helps design and plant the hummingbird garden and indoor displays at the Joliet Birdhaven Greenhouse and Conservatory. “I am thankful for the great volunteers who help with plant sales there, too. But most of all I am thankful to be working with Mother Nature as an artist’s medium.  It is ever changing, always challenging, most rewarding.  Just to enhance her work, be it for a short time, is such an opportunity.  And the appreciation of others who enjoy it is beyond words.” Birdhaven Greenhouse is located at 225 N. Gougar Road in Joliet, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day, closed on holidays. Check out www.jolietpark.org or (815) 741-7278.

Father knows best

Bigger.  Better.  More bloom power.  That’s what plant hunter Tim Wood of Spring Meadow Nursery in Grand Haven, Michigan was looking for when he developed the new must-have Hydrangea ‘Incrediball,’ which produces gigantic flowers on strong upright stems.  And when he’s not developing his own plants, he’s traveling across the world searching out new, promising selections for the Proven Winners brand. “I got into this because my dad was a horticulturist. He was in charge of landscaping at Ford Motor Company, overseeing their world headquarters in Dearborn. He also had a nursery that specialized in unusual plants and I would take care of it after school, weekends and during the summer. In many ways I hated it. Hard work, dirty and long hours. But what I loved was learning and growing new and unusual plants. He gave me an appreciation and love for all types of plants.”  Follow Tim Wood on his plant hunting blog at  http://plant-quest.blogspot.com/  Enter stage right

Landscape architect Scott Mehaffey credits his grandparents with instilling an interest in gardens.  Now director of project development with the City of Chicago’s Natural Resources and Water Quality Division, Mehaffey says, “My maternal grandparents were part of the ‘back to the land’ movement after WW II.  They built their own house, planted an orchard and a huge garden, grew berry bushes in the woods and made their own cider.  My grandfather died when I was two and I spent the better part of my childhood helping my grandmother take care of the property.”  But his defining moment came as a theater major in college.  “I had been designing and building sets, setting lights and running sound boards when I realized that I wanted to make real places that would last longer than a few weeks. I picked up the debut issue of Garden Design magazine and I was hooked.  I do think my tech theatre background still influences me--I pay a lot of attention to scale and perspective, architectural style and site furnishings--and to lighting of course.”  Good Read: “Elements of Garden Design” by Joe Eck (North Point Press, 192 pages, $15.00)

Lilies of the field

Jim Ault’s gardening roots likely started in his parent’s large vegetable garden.  ‘I was the only one of three brothers who volunteered to work in there. I even learned to tolerate beets,” says Ault, plant breeder and director of ornamental plant research at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe. “My grandmother, too, was an extraordinary fern grower--starting plants from spores--and I remember visiting her in Miami when I was a college student and getting up early to walk around her garden.”  Ault spends a lot of his leisure time breeding lilies. “My wife and I stumbled on the lily show at the Botanic Garden and we were blown away.”  Their backyard in Libertyville, Ill., has become a lily breeding ground. He joined the North American Lily Society and the Wisconsin-Illinois Lily Society and has read everything about lilies from garden magazines to scientific journals. “The whole plant breeding thing gets under your skin and I can’t walk away from it at the end of the day.”  Learn more at www.lilies.org .

From soup to [coco]nuts

Sue Miller’s gardening roots run deep, starting with family visits to her German grandparents home in Iowa where castor beans, morning glories, peonies, phlox, petunias and an assortment of vegetables filled the garden.  “The green beans and peas tasted so wonderful straight off the vines, which, at the time, were taller than I was,” says Miller, a horticulturist who lives and gardens in Geneva.  When she was age 6, her grandfather gave her a grapefruit tree that he had grown from a seed in a soup can. “I still have this tree. It reaches the ceiling and takes up half of my front room. I've kept it alive at least 40 years.”  Family vacations in the 1970s took her to exotic places with unusual plants. “My dad was a pilot so we flew a lot when I was young. He flew in WWII in the Pacific near Papua New Guinea so we traveled to Mexico, Hawaii, Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. In New Guinea we stayed about a month with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. It was a great experience that I will always remember. This is where I found my love for tropical plants and crazy, wild gardens.”  Check out rare and exotic tropical plants for indoors at www.glasshouseworks.com 

The apple never falls far from the tree

When garden book author Stephanie Cohen was 5 years old her parents started a Victory Garden in New York city.  “It was the Second World War and they wanted to be patriotic,” says Cohen of Collegeville, Penn. After planting too many vegetables they gave produce away in a little red wagon.  “We fed the neighborhood. Veggies were boring because I didn't like to eat them,  so I had a tiny piece of land where I planted exotic plants--petunias, marigolds and geraniums. This was the start of my long-term romance with ornamentals. Three books, hundreds of articles and lectures, and 21 years of teaching horticulture. I never found the cure for this obsession and probably never will.”  Check out her book, “The Nonstop Garden: A Step-by-Step Guide to Smart Plant Choices for Four-Season Designs,” by Cohen and Jennifer Benner. (Timber Press, 248 pages, $19.95.)  


...Happy New Year...

The calm before the (snow) storm...

Yes, it's been unseasonably mild for December near Chicago. And the snow is sure to come.  And my Christmas decorations aren't finished and there are a few presents to buy and wrap and cookies to bake.  But who's got time for that when the seed catalogs are arriving.  Yes, I'm making out my first seed order but I don't have my Christmas cards addressed yet.  Bah!  Humbug.  Bring on the tomato seeds!

Look Who's Coming to Dinner

Neighbor and photographer Ellen Hodges snapped this stunning photo of an Eastern bluebird that's been raising its young in a nest box that sits in the 80' x 12' long mixed border running along our semi-rural road. There are three nest boxes throughout the garden but this one has been a favorite location for the past three years.

This was the second batch of bluebirds nesting in our garden this summer.  It's been tough--they have to fight off house wrens, finches, chickadees and other birds that use nest boxes.

Adult bluebirds are great at bug patrol.  They're active at sunrise and until last week were still feeding the babies at 7:45 p.m.  No recess or time out. Few breaks for them with a hungry loud brood to feed.
They're gone now and likely will be heading south soon.

The first cool August evenings have arrived this past weekend along with the much needed rain. Meteorological fall begins in just a few weeks.  Where has the summer flown?


Photos (c) Ellen Hodges.

Past Perfect...

When it comes to old houses, it’s not often that you’ll find one with its original garden elements. Wood arbors and fences eventually succumb to decay. Styles change and homeowners may remove trellises, statuary and old cement urns. It was a pleasant surprise then to discover that the original Victorian fountain was still present outside the 1872 home that is now the Baert Baron Mansion Bed and Breakfast up in Zeeland, Michigan right outside of Holland.

The owners, Vic and Anna Karen VanDeventer, have lovingly restored the mansion and have painstakingly maintained the cast-iron fountain, which features frogs and other critters in the basin and on the pedestal. "It's a lot of work, but it's a piece of history and it's original to the house," Vic VanDeventer says. You can see more images at the B&B's web site: http://www.baertbaronmansion.com/ (We recently stayed there while visiting local nurseries and the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids.)

This illustration below is from the 1884 Ford County (Illinois) atlas. The house is similar in style to the Baert Baron Mansion, but note what's out in front--a cast iron fountain. These water features graced many "luxury" homes owned by weathly Victorians from the 1870s on but many are long gone, the victim of changing fashions.

If you'd like to learn more about creating timeless cottage gardens and about Victorian plants, I'm teaching the class, Create Your Own Cottage Garden on Wed., July 11, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. Here’s the class description:

Exuberant gardens overflowing with old-fashioned flowers--that's the vision that comes to mind when we thing of sun-drenched cottage gardens. Shrub roses, foxgloves, poppies, pinks, forget-me-nots, hollyhocks, vegetables and herbs all have a place in this one-of-a-kind garden. Discover bed and border designs and plant combinations that can help you get the look inspired by the English cottage garden. (Cost is $21 for members. For more details or to register, go to mortonarb.org or call 630-719-2468.)

Happy Gardening!

-- Nina Koziol, www.thisgardencooks.com

Do the Math: Divide and multiply your perennials

Perennials have much to offer gardeners. Many, such as black-eyed Susans, ornamental grasses, daylilies, hostas and ferns, are long-lived, returning every year to add color and texture to beds and borders. At some point, however, these plants and others may need to be lifted out of the ground and divided. Many plants can be divided in late summer, but spring is a great time for this task because they then have the entire growing season to recover and produce a sturdy new root system.

Dividing perennials is beneficial for several reasons. It helps rejuvenate plants such as Siberian irises, which produce large clumps of leaves. Dividing is used to control aggressive, spreading perennials, such as yarrow (achillea) and monarda. It’s also an easy way to increase plants for your garden. 

Handy tools for dividing plants include a spade with a sharp edge, a gardening fork, and, my favorite, an old bread knife with a serrated blade. After planting the new divisions, water them with a diluted liquid transplant solution, such as Miracle Gro’s Quick Start. These products promote root growth. 

Divide and multiply

Hostas are among the easiest plants to divide in spring. When the leaves are a few inches tall, use a fork or a spade and dig up the entire clump. Brush or wash away the soil so you can see where the clusters of fleshy roots join the leaves. Each cluster is a separate plant. Carefully tease the individuals apart, so that each one has a few leaves and a good clump of roots. Set the new divisions in the ground at the same depth at which they had been growing and water thoroughly. This method works on daylilies, pulmonaria, coneflowers, and other clump-forming perennials. 

Donut hole, anyone? 

After a few years in the garden, ornamental grasses, such as fountain grass (Pennisetum), Japanese silver grass (Miscanthus), and switchgrass (Panicum), develop a dead spot in the center of the clump. Marcy Stewart-Pyziak of The Gardener’s Tutor in Manhattan, Illinois, calls this a donut hole.  “The plant grows in a ring, and the inside is basically dead,” Pyziak said. “The same thing often happens to Siberian iris. When it does that, you know it’s time to divide the plants.” And divide you must, otherwise the grasses become floppy and the Siberian irises produces fewer, smaller flowers. 

For Siberian irises, dig up the entire plant with a fork or spade and set the clump on a tarp or the ground. This is where an old bread knife or a small handsaw, set aside just for this purpose, can cut through the emerging leaves and rhizomes (thick underground stems that produce the shoots and root systems of new plants). Each division should have a hefty rhizome or two. Discard any woody parts and replant. Siberian irises (and other types of iris) benefit from division every three years or so. As with the hostas, set the plants back in the ground at the same depth they were growing, add compost or other organic material, and water them well.  You can do the same thing for bearded irises (shown at left).

When it comes to rejuvenating large ornamental grasses, they are usually too big to dig out of the ground. And, most ornamental grasses do not produce green leaves until early May. But in March, I use long-handled hedge shears to cut the old leaves as close to the ground as possible. That’s the easiest way to see the “donut” that has developed--the inside of the clump is usually soil or debris. Next, I use a sharp spade and slice a few sections from the outside of the “donut.”  I dig up these sections (even though there are no green leaves yet) and move them elsewhere in the garden or toss them in the compost. Some, like Morning Light Miscanthus, I plant in large containers with annuals. 

Divide and conquer

Some runaway perennials, like asters, yarrow, helianthus (summer sunflower) and monarda spread by underground runners and may need dividing every year to keep the plants healthy and prevent them from running wild. When the leaves are just a few inches tall in spring, it’s easiest to slice a few sections with a spade, lift them out of the ground, and use them elsewhere or compost them. This technique also works on coreopsis, epimedium, lysimachia, lily-of-the-valley, bishop’s weed, and sweet woodruff (Galium). 

If you didn't get around to dividing your perennials this spring, you can do it in late summer. A good rule of thumb is to get the divisions back in the ground by September 15 so they have a month to get their roots established before the first hard frosts hit the area.  As with any transplants, keep them watered, especially during dry periods.

Here’s a general guide to some common garden perennials and the best time to divide them.

Plant Spring        Aug/Sept

Achillea                   X           X

Carex (sedge)         X

Chrysanthemum     X

Coneflower             X           X

Coreopsis               X

Epimedium             X           X

Ferns                      X

Helianthus              X

Hemerocallis           X          X

Heuchera                X          X

Hosta                      X          X

   

Iris                           X          X

Ornamental Grass    X

Pulmonaria            X          X

Summer Sowings: Swiss Chard it is!

'Bright Lights' Swiss Chard in resin pot

There’s still plenty of time to plant two delicious greens--Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris) and Bok Choy (Brassica rapa)--for a prolonged harvest. Both are easy-to-grow, nutritious veggies that do very well in cool weather.  Gardeners often sow them in the early spring and again in July and August for a fall harvest. 

Whether you sow them now from seeds, or buy transplants from your local garden center, Swiss chard and Bok choy should be planted in fertile, evenly moist soil that receives full sun.

“Bok choy is one of the easiest and fastest vegetables to grow,” says Renee Shepherd, owner of Renee’s Garden (www.reneesgarden.com), a mail-order seed company. “It grows well in cool spring weather and you can also definitely plant another crop again at the end of the summer for late fall harvest.”

Bok choy (aka Bok choi, Pak choy or Pac choi) is a vigorous, fast-growing Asian green that provides a good source of calcium, fiber and vitamins A and C. Plants tend to be vase-shaped with thick white stalks. In fact, the name means “white vegetable” in Chinese. The flavor might best be described as tangy-sweet yet delicate. It can be used in stir-fries or as baby salad greens when the plants are 2 to 3 inches tall.  

When sowing Bok choy seeds, plant them about 1/4 inch deep and 2 inches apart.  Seeds sprout in about 5 to 7 days and harvesting begins in about 35 days. “Bok choy just needs fertile, well-drained soil and it's important to thin the young seedlings to stand about 5 to 6 inches apart so they have room to make pretty vase-shaped plants of crunchy pastel green stalks and deep green leaves,” Renee Shepherd says.  When planting from transplants, set the plants in at 5 to 6 inches apart.

When bok choy plants are small, you can cut a few baby leaves from each one and use them raw in salads.  Some cultivars, like ‘Red Choi,’ have attractive leaves that change from dark green with maroon veins when they’re tiny to dark maroon leaves that are green underneath when they mature. Depending on the cultivar, Bok choy grows between 10 and 15 inches tall. 

Swiss chard is another versatile vegetable. It can be sauteed whole when the plant is small and it’s a great substitute for spinach. You can add the sliced leaves or ribs to soups and chowders or saute the leaves with other greens. The All-America Selection ‘Bright Lights’ is particularly ornamental with fleshy stalks in shades of pink, white, red, gold, coral and yellow.  For maximum color in the stems and leaf veins, the leaves of ‘Bright Lights’ should be at least 8 inches long when harvesting. 

Plant Swiss chard seeds 1/2 inch deep and 2 inches apart. Thin out the extra seedlings and use them as early greens. The final spacing between plants should be 12 to 18 inches apart. Harvest plants when they have 6 to 8 stalks. Leaf miners, insects that tunnel into tender leaves, can be a pest. Remove spoiled leaves and wait for new growth. 

Chard should be harvested as needed because its high water content means that it won’t store for long in the refrigerator.  For baby greens, sow seeds 2 inches apart and harvest when they are 2 to 3 inches tall.  Harvest mature chard when it’s about 10 inches tall.  Cut off the outer leaves, and the plants will keep producing even through a light frost.  

Renee Shepherd shares her bok choy and chard recipes from her books, “Recipes From a Kitchen Garden,” and “More Recipes from a Kitchen Garden” available at www.reneesgarden.com and at the Morton Arboretum gift shop in Lisle. 

Milanese-Style Chard

1 bunch (1 pound) Swiss chard

2 T olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

6 scallions, thinly sliced

2 T chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Pinch of nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped prosciutto or ham

2 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Garnish:  2 T toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts

Trim the chard, discard tough stems and coarsely chop. In a large, deep skillet, heat olive oil, add garlic and scallions and saute until softened and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chard, parsley, basil, nutmeg, prosciutto or ham, and mix well together. Cover the skillet and cook over medium heat until tender and wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with nuts. Serves 4 to 6.  

Orzo, Chard and Squash Casserole

1 1/2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta)

1 T butter

1/4 cup chopped fresh green basil 

1/2 cup grated Muenster cheese

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 T olive oil

2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise, cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

10 large leaves of steamed chard, coarsely chopped and drained

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 T drained capers

Salt to taste

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add orzo and reduce heat, cooking until orzo is tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, add butter, basil, Muenster cheese and freshly ground pepper. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat oil, add zucchini and mushrooms and saute until almost tender, stirring frequently for 3 to 5 minutes. Add chopped chard and garlic. Continue cooking, stirring frequently until zucchini is soft.  Stir in capers. Toss vegetables with orzo and add salt to taste. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Burgundy. Or is it Merlot?

Burgundy foliage.  It goes with everything.  Here are castor beans (Ricinus) and elephant ears.  And Red Salvia.  Burgundy--it goes with red, orange, blue, purple, everything.  I may have to get a dress in this color.

Down the Primrose Path

Garden. Walk.  Not.

Occupy 2012

Unlike other years, I have no New Year’s resolutions because by now, the third week in January, my good intentions tend to vaporize.  But I do have a goal and that’s to Occupy –to reside, live in, absorb, inhabit, engage, take up (however you want to define it)—as many moments as possible this year.  

My goal is to enjoy those moments in my garden away from the computer and from the constant “beep” or “ring” of some electronic device.  To take a few moments to watch and listen to what’s happening in the natural world—without the distractions that steal so many moments from each day.   

Under my umbrella goal of Occupy 2012, my garden-related plans include: 

• Seek inspiration: Go on more garden walks – local garden clubs host many walks from spring through fall.  
• Revisit the writings of Fred McGourty, Richardson Wright and Henry Mitchell. 
• Plant some new varieties of annuals—I want “Wendy’s Wish,” an annual salvia with a spectacular 
• Spend more time on the trails at The Morton Arboretum, especially on the west side when the daffodils are in bloom. 
• Make a point to explore each of the Chicago Botanic Gardens 24 display gardens to study one during each visit.
• Attend the Garfield Farm’s heirloom festival again where they display rare and specialty fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs.  
• Bypass the pruners and take my journal and my camera with me into the garden.

This Garden Cooks!: Thoughts of the Garden in Winter

This Garden Cooks!: Thoughts of the Garden in Winter: This time last year, the snow was blowing and an entire panel blew off the greenhouse. But this winter has been different. We've had sev...

Thoughts of the Garden in Winter

This time last year, the snow was blowing and an entire panel blew off the greenhouse. But this winter has been different.  We've had seven weeks of incredibly mild temperatures.  The male cardinals are starting to sing and it won't be long until the great horned owls are hooting.  They start raising their young in the woods across from us in February. 

The winds are still howling and it's -4 degrees with the windchill, but in today's mail, we've received so many more seed catalogs that we must be close to 25 or more since November. What to order?  Whom shall we order from?  Are the seeds really all that different?  

All I know is that I want new annual salvias for all the hummingbirds that spend their summers in our garden.  Raised beds.  Some deer-resistant fencing.  And a little more time to spend with the flowers and veggies.  That's all I want for 2012.  More time.  

OCCUPY 2012 -- Monday's Musing

In the garden of the glass blossom.  From last year's garden walks....